Updates–2020

Link to the Day Centre 2020 gallery here

November 2020 – This month the schools closed and children have to learn online. The children are now coming to the Day Centre in 4 groups of 10 for 2 hours a day. The principal of the village school and the teachers are so thankful that these children who are without computers or anyone to help them at home are not left behind.
A woman in Germany who heard about our work bought each child a pair of winter boots and a warm jacket. They are all set for winter now.
Oana applied for a project to help the needy elderly who are alone and can't buy supplies protecting them from the virus. When Oana and Marius distributed masks, gloves and cleaning supplies they stayed to visit and it was a lovely experience. The old folks said how wonderful it was that there was someone in the village to care about the elderly as well as the children.

September 2020 – September was a full month at the Day Centre with children being a full day there. The children who were not allotted to be at school in person went to the Centre for online help and teaching. Those who were at school in the mornings went for the afternoons for their usual help and teaching. Meals were for everyone. Again this year the children received donated fully equipped backpacks and new shoes.
This month Oana and Marius helped a family new to the village keep their children.  Having worked in a state orphanage they fight hard to keep children out of there. This family's reason for having to give them up was poverty, so the children are coming to the Centre to eat and Marius got them on some social assistance.
The 5 fathers of our Day Centre children who Oana helped get construction jobs in July are hard workers and the boss wants to keep them on during the winter. Eight mothers began work again this month at the mushroom plant. We get them there and they work 10 hour days, 6 days a week. They are so thankful that they will be able to buy wood for winter heating as well as the basic necessities for their families.

June 2020 – June started with a party for International Children's Day outside on the grass at the Day Centre. The children played games, ate cake and fruit and then they just sat on chairs 6 feet apart for 1 1/2 hours! They only wanted to be together. Two weeks later the Centre could open and since then everyone has been working to catch up on the schoolwork lost during the lockdown.
After such a long time away the children and staff are so happy to be back at the Centre and although it is difficult to keep distance between each other, they understand and sit quietly at their desks.
Now with the children being looked after and the lockdown lifted, the parents can get out to look for work. For three months we provided food for these families who had no way to get food. Oana learned to make cheese from their cow's milk for the young children. The families were so thankful for the support during that difficult time.

April 2020 – Romania is under a lockdown where one is required to have a paper stating a trip only to the grocery store or pharmacy, in order to leave the house. This is a huge problem for families in the village where we are working, because going out to find a day's labour is the only way they can eat. So since March we have been providing the 50 families of children who go to our Day Centre with potatoes, oil, rice, four and pasta. Our social workers Oana and Marius check on the families regularly to make sure they have bread. The families were desperate so they're very thankful for the food.
Oana is helping some children who can be helped with homework on the phone. There will be a lot of catching up to do when they all can meet again, as the illiterate parents can't help their children. We look forward to that time!

February 2020 – Our Day Centre children were happy to start this new year after having good Christmas holidays. It was a special time because of visits from groups who brought them presents, new boots and jackets, and they were taken on a day trip into the city by community members. Our social worker Oana matched up very poor single parent families with families who could provide Christmas dinner. Everyone was able to celebrate.
The children's illiterate parents are so proud of them. Staying in school and passing their subjects because of the help they are getting means everything to them. The daily hot meal their children receive is so important too. Our cook is now cooking for a little boy so that he can stay with his dad and siblings and not be taken away to the orphanage. The dad can feed 2 children but not this third child. I am so glad that we are working together in this extremely poor village to be able to step into situations like this.
Literacy classes continue for the parents who are trying very hard, and feeling good about their success!
A 9 year old boy just moved to the village to stay with his uncle because his mother died right before Christmas. It was suggested that he come to the Centre where he could get support. He's sad and withdrawn but the staff are giving him lots of love and attention.
We were given a cow and 2 calves over the last few months, and now the children have fresh milk to drink.
The abandoned handicapped children in the state group homes are being loved and helped to develop to the best of their ability. Evelina who is severely handicapped squeezed Zorita's hand for the first time, and that simple thing made us all happy. The children have their ways of showing that love is getting through to them. Wheelchair bound Razvan is recently new to this house and it was hard for him to adjust, having been with his family until he was 6 years old. He's very sensitive and in great need of love. But his smiles now show that he is doing well.